My essentials: Mariah Borg’s cultural picks

1. Book

I was introduced to a book entitled “The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are.” By Alan Watts.

The book explores how the human being is subconsciously unknowing of who they really are, leaving us with an urgent need for a sense of our own existence. Watts, a scholar and philosopher quotes “what causes the illusion of the self as a separate ego, housed in a bag of skin, which confronts a universe of physical objects that are alien to it”.

2. Film

Everything Everywhere All At Once is probably my favourite movie, mainly because of its storytelling. It is philosophical, innovative and entertaining. This is a favorite because it suggests what makes life meaningful in this fast-paced world. In all the movie’s chaos, we come to realize that there is no inherent meaning; all things and moments are equally meaningful. Besides all that, it is a very funny comedy with great acting and visuals.

3. Internet/TV

I would love to mention some Maltese artists that I follow, but I will narrow it down to one. Emma Attard, known as @personifikazzjoni on instagram is a very inspiring artist. Emma’s storytelling technique is very intense in her visual pieces. I relate to a lot of her pieces, and they inspire me. I in fact reached out to Emma, and we will be doing a group show together soon in August at Gemelli in Ta’ Qali.

4. Music

A bit biased, but I love my boyfriend’s music. Funnily enough it is through one of his gigs which led us to become a couple. He is @jgfusionmusic on instagram, and goes by JG, but his name is Joseph Grech. He primarily plays bass but knows how to play a number of instruments. His style is a fusion of genres like neosoul, jazz, dub reggae etc… Something I enjoy about the genres he plays is the improvisation. It feels like listening to the musician’s self-expression.

5. Place

Rome has so far been the most beautiful city I have gone through. From the beautiful ancient architecture, to the artworks, and overall atmosphere, it is tough to top Rome. Besides Rome being a beautiful city, I had met a few lovely people, namely, artist @barefootcaktus who encouraged me to continue making art. @laragazzadelchewing is a witty woman who can make figures out of chewing gum. She also printed my artwork on my phone case. I also met an opera singer who sang in his art exhibition space.